Roasted turkey. Sausage speckled stuffing. Cranberry sauce. Mashed potatoes with gravy. Buttery dinner rolls. Pumpkin pie. Oh, and I forgot the green bean casserole. Unlike other holidays, the food expectations at Thanksgiving read out like a familiar grocery list. A traditional American Thanksgiving meal doesn’t tend to have many surprises—maybe there’s a little orange zest in the cranberry relish, or an extra swig of heavy cream in the mashed potatoes.

Beyond a few subtle tweaks, the Thanksgiving menu doesn’t seem to vary in most households. But not ours.

A few years ago, we decided to start reinventing our holiday fare. We didn’t toss out the Thanksgiving favorites altogether, instead we decided to draw inspiration from around the world to reimagine our meal.

Want to give it a try? Perhaps this year you might swap out one of your familiar sides with something … creative. Or, you can follow our family’s lead and completely rework your dinner. Below are a few ideas of meals we’ve done in the past.

Mexican-Themed Thanksgiving

With dozens of spices including chiles and cocoa, mole sauce soaks into turkey, giving it an earthy flavor. We cooked the bone-in turkey breast enveloped in mole in the crockpot. To the side, we covered the plates with ranchero-style black beans. Toasted corn tortillas stood in for dinner rolls.

Caribbean-Themed Thanksgiving

For two days we marinated turkey cutlets in jerk sauce and then grilled them on Thanksgiving Day. Along with turkey, we made slow-cooked flank steak covered with bell peppers and onions to capture the taste of Ropa Vieja. Using plantains, we made a traditional Caribbean “stuffing” called Mofongo. For dessert? A pina colada tart cheesecake covered in toasted coconut. 

French-Themed Thanksgiving

Pounding out a turkey breast into a large, thin piece, we filled with shredded Gruyere cheese, Herbes de Provence, and smoked ham. Then we rolled it in a bacon lattice before roasting. We formed mashed potatoes into croquette shapes covered them in crushed corn flakes then fried them until crisp. And green bean casserole? Nope. We wrapped steamed haricot verts green beans in bacon slices and then baked them. The sweets were a selection of bite-sized goodies like chocolate mousse tartlets and chocolate pumpkin bark.

 
This year we’re planning a Creole-themed dinner with fried turkey cutlets, covered in shrimp etouffee. For sides, we’re thinking of hush puppies made with cornbread stuffing, potatoes au gratin, and perhaps some seafood gumbo. Dessert will be fried pillows of dough generously dusted with powdered sugar – hello, beignets!
 
Inspired to try a new dish this year? Give tradition a spin with this quick and easy recipe for pumpkin mousse tartlets. These capture all the homey flavor of pumpkin pie but take only minutes to prepare. You don’t even need an oven! For more mini tart ideas see my recipe for Quick Dark Chocolate Orange Mousse Mini Tarts. 

Pumpkin Mousse Mini Tarts

Ingredients
2 packages of Mini Fillo Shells (15 each; I liked Athens brand)*
1/3 cup pureed pumpkin
½ cup whipping cream
1/3 heaping cup powdered sugar
¼ tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. allspice (optional)
1/8 tsp. ginger (optional)
 
Directions
1. In a large bowl, beat the cream until it begins to form soft peaks. Sprinkle in the powdered sugar and then beat until the peaks become stiff. (Do not overbeat)

2. Stir in the pureed pumpkin, vanilla, and spices.  

3. Fill shells with the pumpkin mousse; chill for 1 hour before serving (or overnight).

 
*Note: You can either use the shells thawed and right out of the package. Or, for a crisper exterior, bake them for 9 minutes at 350°. Cool, then fill.

Kristen J. Gough is the Global Cuisines & Kids Editor for Wandering Educators. She shares her family's adventurous food experiences--and recipes--at MyKidsEatSquid.com.

All photos courtesy and copyright Kristen J. Gough